Davis Cup 2017 World Group R1 - Canada v Great Britain - 3-5 February

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Davis Cup 2017 World Group R1 - Canada v Great Britain - 3-5 February

Miriambee · Futures level

christ wrote:
I prefer the Davis Cup without the certainty of the top players. I find it enormously frustrating that one player can with the Davis Cup if he plays all three games (and wins them), but the enormous popularity of the round that we have just seen was surely in part because we had the uncertainty of time after time, venue after venue, the world 150 playing - with a good chance of winning - the world 50, and home advantage really influencing such results. This makes for much more fun-to-watch stuff than seeing the world number 3 murder the world number 100-125 twice and then muscle in on the doubles to force the issue round after round.

And it really does seem from the recent coverage and attendance that nationalistic jingoism counts for an awful lot, even when Field Marshall Murray/ Nadal/ Federer is absent.Prime time BBC2 coverage for Murray-less tennis? who would have thought it in this day and age.

I mostly saw the Davis cup on the red button, i thought they had said bbc 2, but I felt they moved it because A. Murray was not present.

I'm forgetting now whether yesterdays was on BBC 2 or not.

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

The dubs, with Murray snr, was on BBC 2 but the rest was on the red button

christ · Futures level

The Optimist wrote:
The dubs, with Murray snr, was on BBC 2 but the rest was on the red button

My mistake - due to circumstances (and mrs. christ's TV viewing requirements) I watched most of it on the iPad, and only tuned into the TV for the doubles - I had assumed that as that was on BBC2 the rest had been too.

Smudge226 · Club Coach

Oakland2002 wrote:
4 rounds is fine, it's not as if the whole world is playing its over in two for the majority and the final only involves two teams, I find it much more enjoyable than the end of year O2 jamboree for me it's GS, DC and then Olympics.

After a couple of slams I think it's the same for the players too, the fact that a superhuman performance by one player with a half decent doubles partner can win it has its benefits. If it was 6 a side would Serbia or Switzerland ever get a sniff, non!

Totally agree, a minor nation can produce a world beater and have their time in the sun... Remind you of anyone? This nations fans then go bananas.. It works perfectly the reverse singles and doubles in 5sets and 3days. A super human effort by a great player can just about do it but its a huge ask, GB V France 2015. A technically astute team with more resource can still out do the super human effort though, GB V Argentina 2016, Canada V GB 2017 say no more.

Other formats can't quite deliver. 3sets and 2days means it's only 6sets maximum or perhaps only 4sets on day1.. Then doubles and reverse singles on day2 needs 4players really if the object is to reduce the burden.. I'm struggling with this although it would be a good watch.

Increasing players as you say Oakland means major nations more likely to dominate, US and france/Spain. It's hard enough playing these beggers. The only way I can see that gives a minor nation a chance would be to with a 7rubber match, 2singles and doubles first day (4players needed). Then reverse singles and another doubles with a deciding 3rd man for singles in a seventh rubber who has yet not featured in any singles games. That's the only fair way i can think to do this needing a minimum of 5players, probably 6players to cover injury in a squad with some flexibility. Can Norrie would be in the GB squad.

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

For me it was a letdown that we had to start our defence of the DC almost as soon as we had won it. I feel the world group should be on a 2 year cycle.

Year 1 - everybody below world group plays for promotion / relegation as now. At the end of the year first round losers in the previous year's world group in a playoff against winners of the groups below.

Year 2 - as now with the world group playing.

Most of the teams in the world group are the generally strong tennis nations or have a superstar and so are the ones where the players have a lack of commitment year in year out due to the general demands of going deep in regular tour events. Every other year, avoiding Olympic year, would be much more appealing to those players, more of an event and less of a continual grind. Lesser nations would have the annual benefit of home and away games to raise the profile of the sport and give all levels of player their moment in the sun for their countries.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Best wishes to Arnaud Gabas who was operated on in Toulouse yesterday, for a fracture to his orbital floor bone, following the ball he received in the eye.

stevemcqueen · Futures qualifying

There is an awful lot of opinion about what should or should not happen to the DC. I think that last w/e was a spectacularly entertaining weekend of tennis. Spectators voted with their feet, I think all venues were pretty much full. The big names would not have improved ticket sales. It would be preferable if larger venues could be used, but the short timescales and the requirement for the majority of fixtures to be played indoors make this difficult. I hate the idea of reducing the top league to just eight teams for all the reasons that have already been talked about.

One idea that I don't think has been been talked about is having the first two rounds played in one week: Round one taking place Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with winning teams staying on to play the second round Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Obviously, the home and away issue would need consideration and it would mean more travelling for fans.

Overall though, it isn't broken so don't fix it! True tennis fans don't mind if the very top players are not present. The only people who would benefit from accommodating the the elite are sponsors of those elite players.

I'm already looking forward to the next round! I wish a speedy recovery to Arnaud.

indiana · Tennis legend

Certainly some good points there, stevemcqueen, though I do think on dodgy ground with the "true tennis fans" comment.

It is an opinion of some that the Davis Cup ( World Cup of tennis ) should have many more of the the top players involved throughout, however good and well attended the ties were. And I don't think one to dismissed by such a term.

I think that possible fixes / adjustments are certainly worth debate and this has been a good discussion.

skibbarriz · Strong Club Player

I think there is a generational aspect. For example with doubles, there are some people who says it's such a shame that the top players don't play doubles any more. Whereas there are others who look at it and think this is just what doubles is, it's all they've known, and they don't expect it to become anything else. Take me, personally i've never known a period when doubles was important and i'm not longing for them to change the format of slams to induce more doubles participation by the top singles players. It's true that i don't know what i'm missing because i wasn't following tennis in a prior era but hey, that's how it is, so is how i feel.

If you used to watch Davis Cup in the 70's perhaps now you look at it and think it's not what it used to be. But there are others who have discovered DC in its present state and embraced it, and they don't see any need for it to alter. DC isn't necessarily worse because the top 10 aren't there regularly, it just has a different identity and nature to in the past. Again personally, I discovered DC in it's present form and i don't lament that top 10 players aren't in it regularly. I like seeing and discovering the other players instead of seeing the same few that already get oversaturated coverage. If you offered me the constant particiaption of the top 10 over the current situation, i woudln't take it.

Tennis has changed a lot in the last 30-40 years. Money and the physical demands of the tour has changed how players prioritise and behave. But i don't sense that we have something less good than before. But i recognise my experience is not that of others.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Oh, it's better than it was. Slowing the balls down has made it much more interesting to watch

indiana · Tennis legend

Think Kyle would prefer the overall tendency to slower courts too, but Canada missed the memo on that one

Good contest as Canada vs GB was ( see I recognise interesting and exciting tennis, and watch it, even if I would still prefer the top possible participants at supposed top events ) I certainly do prefer the general slowing ( though can go too far for me, though then again a bit of variety is good ) and the part of the balls in this.

Smudge226 · Club Coach

The highly evolved DC format gives us such variety, unexpectedly fast surfaces in Ottawa etc. DC just keeps giving and we're all guessing what the French will choose next. The neutral venue can never deliver. Three sets and two days is just pandering to the elites and commercial gain. Calendar moving for DC should never have started. FIFA or World Rugby set the calenders as the highest authority and the clubs and EUFA etc all fall in line.. Tail wagging the dog springs to mind. FIFA ensure other competition is finished 2/3 weeks before the World Cup starts.

Smudge226 · Club Coach

Not sure how I missed this but Andy saying he is ready to play against France after a good rest etc.

metro.co.uk/2017/02/10/sir-andy-murray-confirms-plans-to-return-for-davis-cup-quarter-final-v-france-6439216/

He goes on to suggest perhaps clay at Monte Carlo would be France option. Looks to me like Monfil's is a strong clay court man but perhaps the rest Tsonga etc prefer a harder surface and for GB we know Kyle and Andy would be reasonably strong on the dirt so wouldn't be surprised if they went for hard court, went the other way, something quicker?

Anyway, read somewhere that the French will have to name venue and surface by 20th Feb. Also seen comments from Leon that we could win without Andy.. You've got to hand it to Leon, he works the media well..

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

That's assuming that Yannick has patched things up with Monfils (major polemic going on) and with Tsonga too (more minor polemic so more likely).

I'd be very suprised if Monfils plays.....but Noah is under immense pressure to win the (expletive) Cup - as he said - so he'll eat humble pie if he has to. Just not sure he thinks Monfils is worth it....